Taurine Supplement for RLS

[eternalshadow]

If I use Taurine powder instead of Taurine capsule, will it have the same effect?Anyone knows ? I'm confused about this, I would be very grateful if you could help me, at least I want to give Taurine a chance. I have been suffering from RLS for 15 years.

[Joolsg]

Are you just using supplements to treat your RLS? Have you had full panel blood tests? Also make sure you're not taking any medications that trigger RLS like anti depressants and anti histamines?I take Taurine and theanine capsules at night but I don't know if the powder is different. I don't think it will matter as the capsules are usually just an easier way to measure the dose - they're just filled with the powder.

[eternalshadow in reply to Joolsg]

I am currently using neurontin and lyrica for RLS, I have also been using these drugs for the last 1 year for my neuropathic pain caused by MS, I have been a patient with RLS for 15 years. I have not tried using taurine before, I will try it for the first time, I saw it here on the forum and there are people who say it works, I wanted to give it a chance, but I'm confused whether it is better to take it in powder form or if I take it as a pill.

[Joolsg in reply to eternalshadow]

Why both neurontin ( gabapentin) and lyrica (pregabalin)? They're both the same class of drugs ( Alpha2Delta Ligands). It's highly unusual to take both at the same time.

[eternalshadow in reply to Joolsg]

I'm getting pregabalin (150 mg) every evening, I only get this mix in the days when my MS-derived neuropathic pains are overly violent. Under the follow-up of the neurology department. Actually according to my research; their mechanism of action is not yet fully understood, but research has demonstrated promising results. Despite their similarities, they have been used in combination in both clinical and research situations, and have been noted to have a synergistic effect in pain control. I also use the Pramipexole medicine for 10 years. 10 years ago I started with 0.25 mg. I'm using 1.25 mg now. I feel extreme severe pain due to MS lesions. Pregabalin is better option for my neuropathic pain. RLS may be very violent in this period and gabapentin does not work... Sometimes i take Xanax (1.0 mg) and sleep all night like a baby but i am not taking regularly due to adverse effects of the use of addictive substances.

[eternalshadow in reply to eternalshadow]

When i take Pramipexole i feel very good but i am taking 1.25 mg now and Neurology Doctor says that you can increase the dose of up to 2 mg, obviously I am not sure about this issue, ultimately I'm gaining immunity in every dose rise. Because of the unbearable pain I experienced, I even thought about suicide.

[eternalshadow in reply to eternalshadow]

RLS started to getting worse after suffering from MS obviously... in addition, it is impossible to tolerate when you start experiencing neuropathic pain due to MS.

[eternalshadow in reply to eternalshadow]

You mentinoed above "Have you had full panel blood tests?" Yes i had. I have been taking blood tests regularly for 5 years. Nothings is abnormal. Iron and iron binding capacity also normal.

[WideBody]

Yes, I buy powder because it is less expensive. Although I have never bought Taurine powder because I heard it had a "not so good" taste. So I bought the capsules. I have been putting L-Theanine powder in my coffee every day for a month. I could taste it a little at first, but coffee.

[eternalshadow in reply to WideBody]

I want to mix Taurine powder into milk and try to drink it, so I think it will taste good by the way, I know that coffee consumption is not a very good choice for RLS, right ?

[Hidden]

I'm guessing the powder is the same powder that's in the capsule. It's easier to swallow capsules.

Also, have you ever tried drinking cod liver oil rather than taking it in capsules.

Might appeal to those who think caviar is a delicacy.

Yuck!

I'm also not clear why you're taking neurontin (i.e. gabapentin) AND lyrica (i.e. pregabalin).

Once you've absorbed the pregabalin, it gets turned into gabapentin anyway.

Why take two lots of the same thing.

What doses, if you combine the two you could in fact be taking over the maximum dose.

[eternalshadow in reply to Hidden]

I tried Solgar Omega-3 supplement but it is the not same thing you mentioned above cod liver oil right ? I have not tried using cod liver oil before, I will try thank you so much.

[Hidden in reply to eternalshadow]

Just to cIarify, I wasn't suggesting anybody take cod liver oil for RLS!

It won't be of any use for that. At least as far as I'm aware.

My point was that it tastes disgusting, that's why it's put in capsules.

[eternalshadow in reply to Hidden]

Fair enough, but you mentioned above cod liver oil not me ! I didn't mention anything about this topic, you're the one who brought it up...

[eternalshadow in reply to eternalshadow]

I am talkin about taurine you talkin about oil, c'mon !

[Hidden in reply to eternalshadow]

Sorry if you have misunderstood. I brought it up as an illustration of why some things are put in capsules because they taste horrible. It's an anology.

I then wanted to clarify that I was not suggesting that cod liver oil was any good for RLS, just in case anybody interpreted it that way.

My comments are often not just aimed at the person I'm responding to, but also at anybody else who is reading it.

This is mentioned in the forum rules.

It's OK to challenge what anybody might write, but as mentioned in the forum rules, members need to be careful how they do this. Particularly to be aware that this is not a face to face conversation and there are no non-verbal cues.

It can be quite easy to become personally offensive, which is not acceptable.

[lauraflora]

Yes, you can use it either way. Understand, tho, that capsules/tablets have to dissolve as well as go thru your digestive system, which takes time.

If you open a capsule, or use a measured amount of a powder and put it in a liquid, some of it gets absorbed in your mouth, some by your digestive system.

If you put the powder straight under your tongue and let it soak in that way, this is sublingual and is quite efficient and quick to get it into your blood stream, bypassing your digestive system.

So, it sort of depends - upon several things. Timing, preference, taste, your digestion, what you find to be better after experimenting with these methods.

I do not take any drugs for my RLS and sleep, but I do take some amino acids - taurine, Gaba, 5-htp, mucuna dopa (an herb). Glycine. I find some of these taste just mildly sweet, or like not much of anything. It may depend upon the manufacturer. Glycine is sweet, (tho not a sugar). Taurine mildly sweet, GAba, also. I don't generally open 5-htp. Mucuna dopa, a sort of nutty plant flavour. But sometimes I just swallow them.

The other thing that is important is to take something, if swallowing, early enough. If you are taking something before bed, try 30 to 45 minutes before you want it to kick in, not right before jumping into bed. This way it will be in your system already.

[eternalshadow in reply to lauraflora]

None of these above works for me (gaba, 5htp, glycine, etc. supplements). RLS started to get worse after suffering from MS...

[Hidden in reply to eternalshadow]

There's really no reason why most of these food supplements should work for RLS.

It's true that if you are lacking some things, i.e. have a deficiency then taking a supplement may correct the deficiency.

For example it has been shown that for somebody with RLS correcting a vit D or B12 deficiency can relieve symptoms. However, if you don't have a deficiency, then it won t make any difference.

5HTP is a bit different because it may help raise serotonin levels. This might be good for depression or sleep, but it may possibly make RLS worse, i.e. if it does anything.

GABA if taken orally only passes IN through the blood brain barrier in very small amounts. In addition GABA passes OUT more easily. It therefore may have little effect on RLS.

Some people take various amino acids for RLS. The idea is that neurotransmitters like dopamine or GABA are made from amino acids and if you take more amino acids you get more neurotransmitter.

The issue with that is that you may not get any more transmitter, it's like pouring water into a bucket that's already full.

Also, if you eat a healthy diet you get all the amino acids you need anyway.

Mucuna pruriens is something that can raise dopamine levels. If this is so then, it could help with RLS. However, if this is the case then taking it could lead to the same problems that taking dopaminergic drugs can cause.

I'd say you're wise not take any supplement unless their value has been truly demonstrated.

[lauraflora in reply to Hidden]

I have found several amino acids to be quite helpful for myself. Taurine, Gaba in small amounts, 5-htp and glycine.

However, some of these I take for sleep, some for RLS. If a person has RLS and cannot sleep, it seems that it is assumed that RLS is the cause of the sleeplessness. While RLS does cause sleep problems, a person can have other issues - like overactive adrenals, a circadian rhythm out of order, sleep apnea, anxiety, depression, Ptsd, menopause, etc. etc.

Also, the amino acids are being taken in a medicinal amount, not a nutritional amount, There is a difference. Just like if one were taking vitamin c for a cold; one would take much more than what would be taken for regular daily use.

Most of the info I have benefitted from on amino acids is from Dr. Julia Ross's book The Mood Cure, which has a whole chapter on sleep problems (with a bit about RLS.) She goes into the physiology of sleep. And has recommendations for what to do and which amino acids to take. I have found it to be very helpful.

I take Mucuna puriens but not all the time, or everyday even. I have not had any problems with it. Indeed, it has been helpful, along with taurine, with knocking down my own RLS to being very mild and sometimes not even there. The Gaba I do respond to and it is very helpful with sleep, for me, as long as I take it infrequently (otherwise it is too stimulating, changing to glutamate.) Glycine is great for bringing on sleep - that lovely sleepy feeling in the brain and then off to sleep I go.

So, by my reckoning, the value of these aminos has been demonstrated well enough by, after mostly Dr. Ross's book, my own experience. It may not work for some people, it may work for other people. It certainly has worked well for me.

I am NOT prescribing to anyone, I am passing on info of what has been helpful for me and where I got the info in the first place. If I say nothing, then I feel as if I am withholding Potentially helpful info, when other people are asking.

[Hidden in reply to lauraflora]

Again, apologies. I often write comments aimed at anybody that might be reading them.

Please don't take them personally.

If anybody chooses to take whathever they wish to take and finds them helpful, for whatever reason then I wouldn't wish to discourage them.

It's also great that people share wht they've find helps them because it may, and often dsoe give others some ideas of things they can try for themselves. So all praise to you for doing that.

I do try to base what I write on known facts, not necessarily aklways. I also write of things in relation to RLS

As examples it IS known that GABA taken orally has little chance of getting into the brain so it is unlikley to help with RLS. It may of course help with other conditions.

5HTP, I have taken on occasion myself, but not for RLS. Theoretically at least, if it has any effect on RLS it may possibly make it worse. Howevert it is good for other things.

I am glad you get benefits from what you take. My only comment is, since you're apparently taking such a cocktail, how do you know which of them is working and for what?

[lauraflora in reply to Hidden]

It is good to have more than one side to the story, as it were. And info from other people as well , such as yourself. I certainly don't want to sound like I am an expert or that my experience would work for everyone. A bit of dissention is a good thing. I find that gaba does work for me, tho I try not to take it too much. It seems to affect my rls and sleep issues well. 5-htp helps with sleep. Taurine helps rls, but not sleep so much. Glycine is great for sleep but doesn't stop rls. Besides reading Julia Ross's book , I was able to buy a powder made by Youtherapy for sleep, that had several of these aminos and was very good. It is expensive and hard to find, except on Amazon. So I just bought the components to take myself. It may be the combination that works.

So why do I have trouble sleeping, besides rls? It goes back 10 years to a family tragedy that threw me into a long and stressful episode of difficult emotions, sleeplessness, anxiety, etc. Even tho I am thru most of that, the residual difficulty sleeping is the one that hung on the most. Once the system is so upset, it seems to have a hard time getting back to balance again. So, that is why I use my cocktail for sleep. I did try a prescription med at first which caused more trouble than it was worth. But the aminos worked better, so I have kept up with them.

[lauraflora in reply to Hidden]

Well, I did a bit of experimenting, based on your question above of how do I know which of the things I take is working and for what. Good question, as I had supposed it was more the combination than any individual one. So, here is what I did and what I have found out:

A few weeks ago, tho sleeping rather well after taking my usual cocktail/combo, I decided that when next I woke up (I usually wake up at least one time in the night,) I would only take 1 thing. I decided that 1 thing would be GABA. I had a bit of RLS, tho not bad but a bit bothersome. I took the 1 GABA capsule 500mg, opening it (which is recommended for aminos, after all they sell a dissolve in the mouth GABA tablet.) In about 20 minutes the RLS went away, I fell asleep and -get this- slept an hour and a half past my alarm (which is set to classical music on a low volume, but I usually do hear it go off.) My husband was playing golf, so there was no one to notice that I slept till 9 am.

I had woken up about 4 am and thought that perhaps that was too late to take 500 mgs. So a few other times, when I woke up about 2 am, I took 500mgs, and was able to wake up when my alarm went off. Since then, I have experimented with taking only 1/2 a capsule @ 250 mgs, if I wake up more like 4 am. I have had a few other times that it kept me asleep past my alarm if I took the whole capsule, so next time I purchase any GABA, I will get one with smaller mgs.

It does work, for me, in quelling RLS, as well, especially since the time I get the symptoms it is middle of the night.

I have read several things about GABA and the blood brain barrier. Some say it does not cross at all thru the BBB, some say if it does, you have a leaky brain. Some say taking it sublingually helps by getting it into the blood stream quicker, and even if it does not cross the BBB, in some way it helps, because there are many people who do respond well to GABA. There are also people for whom it does nothing. So the only way to know is to try it. For me it does work. I have been doing this experiment for at least 2 weeks now and the results are consistent. All I have to do now, is figure better how much or how little to take, depending upon when I wake up in the night.

So that has been my experiment and my results, based on your question. Thanks for the suggestion!

[lauraflora in reply to eternalshadow]

Sorry to hear about your rls and ms. I have no experience with that. Just my own rls, which is not caused by anything else. I hope you can find something that works.

[Hidden in reply to lauraflora]

Please be aware that when a food supplement comes in a capsule it may be for convenience, because of taste and to regulate the dose.

Opening the capsule may do no harm.

However anybody taking a drug in a capsule should be very careful about opening the capsule.

One of the reasons for this is that it may be important for the drug to get into the small intestine before being digested.

The other is that the drug may be controlled release and if taken out of the capsule is absorbed TOO fast. Some people do this deliberately to get a high, hence increasing risk of addiction.

In the extreme, it can cause an overdose.

The same applies to extended release and enteric coated tablets, which should not be cut or powdered.

[lauraflora in reply to Hidden]

Rightly said. I was, however, talking about amino acids, not drugs. I suspect I should have made that more specific.

[Hidden in reply to lauraflora]

No that's OK, you were quite clear in what you said.

I wrote my comment just to make sure that you, or anybody else reading these comments knew the difference.

I often reply to people with a general comment for anybody, not just the person I'm replying to.